Getting Naked

When was the last time you did something naked besides showering, sleeping, or having sex? Maybe you've never done anything else au natural. Skinny dipping? Hot tubbing? Housework? Dancing? Sunbathing?

Being naked is uncomfortable for many women because of their generalized body discomfort and the specific changes that have occurred in their bodies over time. I hear women speak disparagingly of their sagging breasts and pot bellies and cellulite-ridden thighs, so I shouldn't be surprised when they add that they never let their husbands see them without some kind of cover-up.

But denying their husbands the visual stimulation men crave is only part of the problem with nude phobics. Staying covered up doesn't allow women to get comfortable with their imperfect bodies. Here's a challenge for you phobics: start going naked for short periods of time when you're all alone. Try putting on your make-up without a robe or reading the newspaper or just walking around the house. At first you'll probably feel awkward and uncomfortable. That's ok, just stay with it. Exposure - in this case, literal exposure - has a way of breaking down barriers and reducing the squirm factor.

When you've gotten more comfortable with solo nudity, graduate to short exposure of your body with your partner. You may never want to run the vacuum cleaner or play volleyball in the nude, but getting naked can open up a new level of acceptance and comfort with your body and with your sexual self.